The first daughters - in the spotlight after being criticised for looking
bored at Thanksgiving - showed festive cheer as they danced and sang along
at White House concert

Barack Obama’s daughters were all smiles at the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Thursday night, as if they had been given a talking to after their last sullen public appearance.

Malia, 16, and Sasha, 13, were full of festive cheer as they sang and danced along to a performance by girl band Fifth Harmony after the lights were turned on on the national Christmas tree outside the White House.

Last week they were criticised for looking bored as they stood next to their father at the annual “turkey pardon” ceremony.

At last week's Thanksgiving ceremony

Elizabeth Lauten, a Republican aide, lambasted the teenagers’ disinterested expressions on her Facebook page and took exception to the girls’ “classless attire”.

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Her comments drew condemnation from all political sides and she later resigned from her post after issuing an apology saying she saw "more clearly just how hurtful my words were."

First family at the Christmas tree lighting ceremony

The controversy reflected a long-standing consensus that the children of presidents should be “off limits” - spared from the partisan and often personal invective that characterises US politics.

But the first daughters weathered the criticism, and the chilly Washington temperatures, at the outdoor concert with fur-lined coats and woolen scarves.

There was no sign of sullenness on Thursday night's event, and the girls remembered to smile, giggling together with their parents before Michelle read from The Night Before Christmas, and actor Tom Hanks made an appearance as host of the evening.

R&B singer Ne-Yo joined country star Chely Wright and Patti Labelle for a performance in front of the 17,000-strong audience.

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Many have come out in support of the teenagers after the public tongue-lashing, including former First Daughter Jenna Bush Hager.

"I'm fiercely protective of them, obviously," George and Laura Bush’s twin daughter said in an interview on Thursday. "I don't think that it's easy. It's not a job that they wanted…I had a hard time [growing up in the White House], but it's also a privilege."